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Sunrise (book)/Chapter 19
Chapter description :Jayfeather pads in Leafpool's paw steps as she climbs to the ridge where the trees thin out and pine needles prickle under paw. He feels the ground go damp and his paws slip as he scrambles down the other side into a tangle of undergrowth. As he regains his balance, he picks up the tang of yew bark and berries. :Leafpool meows that they are there, and that she's going to to climb the tree and bend down a branch so he can reach it. She nudges him forward a couple of pawsteps, and tells him to stand just there. Jayfeather listens to his mentor scramble up the tree, and a few heartbeats later, feels the touch of the yew branch on the top of his head. His fur bristles at the overwhelming scent of deathberries. Leafpool tells him to reach up as high as he can, and that there's a stem with berries just there. She warns him to be very careful. :Jayfeather thinks that she doesn't need to tell him, but stretches upward, his front paws lifting from the ground until a twig pokes him in the face and he feels the heavy clump of deathberries touch his fur. He manages to fasten his front teeth into the stem where it meets the branch, and feels Leafpool's muzzle press close to his, as she helps him bite it through. :Waves of unhappiness flood through the medicine cat, and they shock Jayfeather so much that he almost loses his balance. He has to shuffle his hind paws, wedging them more firmly under the damp pine needles, before he can go on nibbling at the twig with its deadly load. Leafpool is filled with gnawing anxiety about bringing more death into the hollow; she is saturated with sorrow, so full of grief that she can hardly move. Yet her voice is steady as she mews, that's it, and Jayfeather feels the twig fall to the forest floor just beside his paws. He relaxes rolling his shoulders to get rid of the strain of stretching, then picks up the clump of berries by the end of the twig, careful not to let any of the deathberries touch his mouth. :A light thump beside him tells him that Leafpool has leaped down him the tree. She tells him that if he carries the clump of berries, she'll follow behind and make sure that none of the berries fall off. She says it doesn't matter so much up there, but she doesn't want to scatter any of them near the camp. When they emerge from the thorn tunnel, the clearing seems full of cats, their voices buzzing like an angry swarm of fffbees. Jayfeather locates Lionblaze and pads up to him, setting the deathberries down for a moment to ask what in StarClan's name has happened now.Lionblaze growls that the other three Clan leaders were there, and they told Firestar that he has to get rid of Sol by the next Gathering, or they'll get rid of him themselves. Jayfeather responds by lashing his tail, wondering what right they have to tell ThunderClan what to do. :Jayfeather feels sparks of anger flooding from Lionblaze. His brother snarls that the other leaders don't care that Ashfur was killed, and that they're all scared like rabbits, convinced Sol is going to leap out and give in to them. He finishes by saying that Firestar can't give in to them. Jayfeather murmurs agreement, but his paws tingle with unease. He doesn't like that all the other Clans know about Ashfur's murder. he feels that the ripples of the gray warrior's death were spreading farther and farther, and there was no sign that the effects would fade away. He tries to shrug off the uneasy feeling as he hears Leafpool calling him, She tells him to put the berries on a leaf, and that they have to make sure all the kits know how dangerous they are. :She sets a flat leaf down in front of Jayfeather, who lays the clump of deathberries on top of it. Then he follows his mentor as she drags the leaf across the camp to the nursery. She tells him to fetch Foxpaw and Icepaw. Jayfeather tastes the air, and locates the two apprentices near the cliff where Dustpelt is building the barrier. He calls to them, jerking his head, saying that Leafpool wants them. Icepaw replies that they're coming. Jayfeather catches a grumble from Dustpelt, saying they'll get this built this side of greenleaf. He then tells the apprentices to come right back when Leafpool's finished with them. :Leafpool calls to Millie and Daisy when Jayfeather catches her up outside the nursery. She tells them to bring the kits out. Daisy asks her why. Leafpool says she has something to show them all. Leafpool and Jayfeather wait while the two queens heard their kits outside. Whitewing follows them, and crouches in the entrance tunnel. :Leafpool begins by asking the kits whether they see the berries. Jayfeather can feel their curiosity, though the are subdued and don't answer Leafpool. After a heartbeat, Bumblekit says they look tasty. Leafpool's voice quivers with anger and disgust as she says no. She then tells the kits that the berries are evil, and that they're called deathberries. She finishes by saying that if they ate just one, they wouldn't just get a bellyache, they'd die, and there wouldn't be anything a medicine cat could do for them.Jayfeather knows that isn't exactly true. Mousefur has told him that Cinderpelt had saved Sorreltail after she'd eaten deathberries by making her sick, but it'd been a close call. Leafpool has to scare the kits thoroughly, though, so they won't dream of going near the deathberries. Characters Major *Leafpool }} Minor *Lionblaze *Icepaw *Foxpaw *Dustpelt *Millie *Whitewing *Mousefur *Bumblekit *Rosekit *Birchfall *Purdy *Longtail }} Mentioned *Leopardstar *Blackstar *Ashfur *Firestar *Cinderpelt *Sorreltail *Honeyfern }} Notes and references Category:Power of Three arc Category:Chapter subpages Category:Sunrise